skies of rust || ❝ d'you breathe the name of your saviour in your hour of need. ❞

[spicetrance]

SKIES OF RUST

I hope to never fall, where enough is not the same it was before.

Come feed the rain
'Cause without your love my life
Ain't nothing but this carnival of rust CODE BY TESSISAMESS

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[battlemeditation]

[ Paul's reactions tell her all she needs to know about how she needs to approach this situation and what she needs to do. All of this is moves and counter moves, a strange dance of politics and alliances and seeking to use what benefits people bring to the table.

It is not a dance Bastila wishes to be a part of, but fate or destiny or both has decided she is part of it, along with Paul and Jessica. ]

We are not going to lose you, either. [ They can hardly afford to lose any of them, and as far as she is concerned, they all survive together or not at all. And if Paul goes, well, she imagines Jessica may not be long in following him, although in some ways, Jessica is the strongest of them all. ] We'll survive together, or make the Harkonnens regret thinking they could best House Atreides.

[ Because, really, that is who their enemy is at the moment. The Fremen are not an enemy, just a group of people who does not seem to trust strangers, and Bastila can hardly fault them for that.

Her gaze zeroes in on his when he steps forward. She knows what she wants to do, now before they are interrupted by anyone. Who knows when they will have a moment alone together? Even if another moment presents itself, there is something she wants to do right now, and she won't be stopped from doing it. ]

Maybe not, and you can hold your own as well, but that does not mean we can't protect each other. Watch each other's backs. [ She had no intention of doing anything different, anyway. ] And I would not downplay your own abilities in combat. Gurney and Duncan taught you well. Combine that with Prana-bindu and no one is going to take you by surprise.

[ He is even closer now, and she could kiss him if she wanted to. She wants to, and driven by that want, she leans forward slightly, hands moving to curl around him, when... at the last second, a voice cuts through the relative silence.

Jessica.

Bastila straightens up, but she does not pull back too far from Paul, turning slightly as Jessica approaches them both. This is one of those moments where she wishes she could simply slide out of view down a hallway and leave Paul and Jessica to talk or argue or whatever it is they are about to do.

But here, there is no room to do that, and so she stays where she is but tries to appear as though she is not listening or eavesdropping. That is, until Paul brings attention to the fact that Bastila is there.

At first, she finds herself startled not only by the blue eyes but the tattoos that were not there the last time that Bastila saw Paul's mother. Clearly she has changed considerably since then, but even with the changes, she is unmistakably the Lady Jessica.

Bastila is quick to dip into a brief curtsy of respect, but before she does so, she scoots forward just slightly and brushes a light kiss against Paul's cheek. It is not the deep gesture she meant to give, but with Jessica's arrival, adjustments had to be made. With that done, then she moves to show proper respect to Paul's mother, concealing a slight smile as she does so. ]

[spicetrance]

[ A faint smile traces his mouth at her declaration. He wonders who it is that Paul Atreides can't be lost as--which one of the roles he plays. Himself? Maud'dib? The unwilling grand scheme he was born to be? Maybe none of them. Maybe all of them.

He would have met her in that kiss if not for his mother. The woman who seems to have a singular talent in making certain he and Bastila never crossed certain lines. Lines he fully intends to cross now that the politics and machinations have put him at the forefront of the board. One that seems ready to cross as her lips brush against his cheek. His attention focuses entirely on her the moment she does. All his attention--including where his mind might seem ready to wander the moment spice enters his body.

His mother had always said Bastila had the capability of capturing him instantly.

Lady Jessica drops her hands at her side at the formal show of respect. Within a moment, she is in front of Bastila. All pretenses of manners and customs by court and Bene Gesserits are dropped. She gently cups Bastila's face in her hands before pulling her into a firm embrace. Firm, but loose, as the signs of her pregnancy are apparent for all to see. ]

"You're alive," [ Jessica breathes a sound of relief and also pride. A hand rests on the back of her would be daughter's head. ] "I had always told the Reverend Mother that you were capable of using your witts to survive. Even if you are covered head to toe in Harkonnen dress..."

[ Paul feels a scowl tug at his face at the mention of the Supreme Reverend Mother.

Jessica pulls back to take Bastila's hands in her own. Then, she glances down at her signs of pregnancy. Blue-in-blue eyes land on Bastila's in the familiar mentorship and yet motherly way. ]

"She's also glad that you've survived. That something of our family remains a family."

[ Paul shakes his head and begins to pull his scarf and gloves off. He should see to getting things arranged for Bastila while the women talk. ]

[battlemeditation]

[ As much as she loves Paul and wants nothing more than to be close to him, she respects Jessica too much to simply ignore her in favor of going after what she wants. Of course, she may not always agree with her, and she may not always think her decisions are the best, but in light of recent events, she is too important to simply put to one side.

The moment that Jessica steps in front of her, all of Bastila's formalities drop to the side as well. There is no need for them, not among family. If they were being observed by others not in the family, of course she would hold onto the customs and expectations, but there is no need to now.

Once Jessica is closer, Bastila looks at her closely too, as if seeing her for the first time. She might not appear different in a physical sense, at least not yet, but there still is something about her that has changed. ]

I had to survive, because- because I just felt like there was more I still could do.

[ She looks down at the Harkonnen attire she still wears, and she glares at it as if it offends her to see it. But then Jessica continues speaking as she takes hold of her hands, and she looks back at her with a question in her eyes. ]

You're not- are you talking about... How are you able to talk to her before she's even here?